In 2007, BBC One aired Jekyll, a six episode mini-series written by Steven Moffat that served as a sequel of sorts to Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novella Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a story horror fans are quite familiar with.
The mini-series starred James Nesbitt (pictured below) as
Tom Jackman, a modern-day descendant of Jekyll who is beginning to exhibit the trademark split personality. The father and husband abandons his family, without explaining why, and lives in a fortified basement with a psychiatric nurse as his ally. When they strap the doctor to a metal chair, she watches him transform into an alter ego who rages, shows heightened strength and speed and can be a charming, flirtatious scoundrel as well. The two personalities try to co-exist, even though one doesn’t remember what the other does while in control of the body. They use a microcassette to leave messages for each other. Unable to stay away from the family he left behind for their own safety, he visits his wife, Hyde assumes control and learns about them, and things grow very complicated.
That mini-series is now set to receive a feature film remake courtesy of Lionsgate and producers Ellen DeGeneres and Jeff Kleeman of A Very Good Production, and they may have their star.
Chris Evans (above), best known for being Captain America (my favorite MCU superhero), is attached to play Tom Jackman and his twisted alter ego in this new version of JEKYLL.
The script for the remake has been written by a pair of Shane Black collaborators – Black's co-writer on THE NICE GUYS, Anthony Bagarozzi, and the writer who joined them on the upcoming DOC SAVAGE, Chuck Mondry. Bagarozzi and Mondry also contributed to the screenplay for Adam Wingard's in-the-works adaptation of DEATH NOTE, and if they can both hold their own while writing with Black it certainly bodes well for the quality of the writing they do together.
The search is on for a director who can bring JEKYLL to the screen.
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